For the last month or so, I have been attending figure drawing classes and today, we did figure painting. This is not my typical traveling/painting adventure, but I wanted to share it anyway. About five or six years ago, I had made a connection with a local mosaic artist/curator for something called Art Project Boise. The founder, Candy, was this vibrant and awesome person--someone who was community-minded and supportive of the local art scene. She also was a founding member of the Gem Center for the Arts many years back, and after some stuff went down, she is back. This time, Candy is flying the flag of Catalyst Arts Collaborative. She has been offering classes, like figure drawing, and I have been going for the last few weeks. I have been so enjoyed these classes and connecting with other artists again. One of the most important connections (aside from Candy) has been Carolyn Greener. She and I have been working collaboratively through Drink and Draw events over the years, and she has always been one of my favorite artists in the valley. I had commissioned her to do a painting for me years ago--but she and I both talked about a desire to take our art seriously after the pandemic put things in focus. It was one of the most exiting and inspirational days I have had in a long while. I can't believe how much her work has grown--bold and confident. She did an incredible piece for this figure painting class.
I started my piece focusing on the model's face and I decided to go with color rather than reality. This is a thing I have done since college figure drawing. There is something about color for figure drawing that I like to play with. I was not particularly happy with focusing in on her face, I missed the mark on her neck/shoulder areas completely. After the first hour and a half, I spend the second half of the session on the floor looking the other direction. This time, in a smaller square format I chose to focus in on her hands and the folds of her dress in more realistic colors/tones. I really enjoyed doing a cut out piece rather than trying to focus on the whole person--maybe because it becomes too overwhelming for me. I ended up using my Sakura Koi watercolor travel kit because I completely failed and forgot my fancy watercolor palette at home! I was so sad at first, but in the end I think it was a Happy Accident. I know that palette so well and it's not a mental hurdle for me to overcome so I could just focus on my work and enjoy the company of my fellow artists!
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